Teacher Resources

Welcome to the Teacher Resources section of Windows to the Universe, where we try to collect resources of our own, as well as of partner organizations that we think you will be interested in. We regularly update this section with information about our web seminars, workshops and new classroom activities. We also provide links, below to several of our key resources, including motivational quotes, Earth science literacy frameworks, materials from our professional development workshops, our Teacher Opportunities calendar (Members Only), and a link to our free monthly Earth and Space Science Educator Newsletter. Windows to the Universe and its educational resources have been reviewed by NASA's Office of Space Sciences and Earth Science Enterprise, receiving exemplary status.

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Windows to the Universe is now offering on-site professional development workshops for teachers. Find out more about this opportunity here. Information about our upcoming workshops and events at the NSTA conference in Indianapolis is available under 2012 on our Teacher Resources/Workshops page.

Our <a href="/teacher_resources/nitrogen_main.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Traveling Nitrogen Game</a> makes a fun activity for students to learn about the <a href="/earth/Life/nitrogen_cycle.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">nitrogen cycle</a>.  The activity includes a student worksheet ("Traveling Nitrogen Passport"), 11 reservoir signs, and stamps.  The activity is available in our <a href="/php/teacher_resources/activity.php#8">Classroom Activities section</a>, including a free html version, and a pdf version free for  <a href="/new_membership_services.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Windows to the Universe subscribers</a>.  The Traveling Nitrogen Game Kit is available in our <a href="/store/home.php">online store</a>, including laminated signs and a set of 11 dice.<p><small><em></em></small></p>Looking for a way to organize your course materials?  Windows to the Universe is now offering course support to K-12 teachers including hosted course pages, course calenders, student quizzes, and homework download/upload capability.  Visit our <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/membership.html">membership page</a> for more information!  Windows to the Universe is a project of the <a href="http://www.nestanet.org">National Earth Science Teachers Association</a>.<p><small><em>Windows to the Universe </em></small></p>Our <a href="/teacher_resources/teach_glacier.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Glaciers: Then and Now</a> activity is an effective tool for discovering changes in land-based glaciers.  The activity includes a set of eight image pairs of Alaskan glaciers from 1899 to 2004. The activity is available
in our <a href="/php/teacher_resources/activity.php#6">Classroom Activities
section</a>, including a free html version and a pdf version free for <a href="/new_membership_services.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Windows to the Universe members</a>. <a href="/store/product.php?productid=173&cat=27&page=1">Glaciers: Then and Now Classroom Activity Kits</a> are available in our <a href="/store/home.php">online store</a>, including the activity description, student worksheet, and eight laminated image pairs.<p><small><em></em></small></p>As permafrost thaws, the land, atmosphere, water resources, ecosystems, and human communities are affected. Coastal areas and hillsides are vulnerable to erosion by thawing of permafrost.  Thawing permafrost also causes a positive feedback to global warming, as carbon trapped within the once-frozen soils is released as <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/methane.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">methane</a>, a powerful <a href="/earth/climate/cli_greengas.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">greenhouse gas</a>.
Watch the NBC Learn video - <a href="/earth/changing_planet/permafrost_methane_intro.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Thawing Permafrost and Methane</a> to find out more.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of the    USGS</em></small></p>As temperatures rise and soil moisture decreases, plants are stressed, which can lead to <a href="/earth/climate/crops_withering.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">crop withering</a>. <a href="/teacher_resources/online_courses/health/events_health.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Droughts</a> accompanied by increased temperatures can lead to famine, social and political disruptions. Scientists are  helping with early identification of drought that might trigger food shortages. Watch the NBC Learn video - <a href="/earth/changing_planet/withering_crops_intro.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Changing Planet: Withering Crops</a> to find out more.<p><small><em>Image taken by Tomas Castelazo, Creative Commons <a href=&quot;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en&quot;>Attribution 3.0 Unported</a> license.</em></small></p>Scientists are concerned that melting Arctic sea ice will increase the amount of fresh water in the <a href="/earth/polar/arctic_currents.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Beaufort Gyre</a>, which could spill out into the Atlantic and cause major climate shifts in North America and Western Europe. Our new lesson plan, <a href="/teacher_resources/leaky_gyre.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">The Case of the Leaky Gyre</a>, explores the circulation in <a href="/earth/Water/ocean_gyres.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">ocean gyres</a>  and the potential <a href="/earth/climate/cli_effects.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">climate impacts</a>. Watch the <a href="/earth/changing_planet/freshwater_arctic.html&edu=high&dev=1/earth/Atmosphere/moons/triton_atmosphere.html">Changing Planet: Fresh Water in the Arctic video</a>.<p><small><em> Courtesy of Jack Cook, WHOI (<a href="http://www.whoi.edu">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute</a>)</em></small></p>

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA